1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for producing a cylindrical reinforcing fibrous molding or shaped body for use in the fiber-reinforcing of a metallic part.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such a fibrous molding has conventionally been produced by the steps of sealing the openings at the opposite ends of a porous cylindrical mold, immersing the mold into an aqueous solution of a molding material containing reinforcing fibers and an inorganic binder and depositing the molding material onto the outer peripheral surface of the mold by applying suction within the mold to form a molding blank; pressing the molding blank against the mold to adjust the shape of the molding blank; opening the openings at the opposite ends of the mold and withdrawing the mold from the molding blank; heating and drying the molding blank; and heating the molding blank to partially bond the reinforcing fibers with the inorganic binder.
However, the above process is accompanied by a problem, namely, if the mold is withdrawn from the molding blank before the heating and drying of the molding blank, the molding blank contains a large amount of water and has poor shape retention. Therefore, the molding may be deformed causing deterioration in the dimensional accuracy of the resultant fibrous molding.